| Lightning Jack | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Simon Wincer |
| Written by | Paul Hogan |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | David Eggby |
| Edited by | O. Nicholas Brown |
| Music by | Bruce Rowland |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $25 million[2] |
Lightning Jack is a 1994Westerncomedy film written by and starringPaul Hogan, as well asCuba Gooding Jr. andBeverly D'Angelo.[3]
Lightning Jack Kane, along-sighted Australian outlaw in the American west, lives with his horse, Mate. After the rest of his gang is killed in a robbery-gone-wrong, Jack survives only to read of the events in the newspaper that he was nothing next to others. Annoyed at not being recognised as anoutlaw, Jack attempts a robbery by himself, and ends up taking youngmute Ben Doyle as a hostage. He later discovers that, tired of never having been treated with respect due to his disability and his race, Ben wishes to join him.
Jack attempts to teach Ben how to fire a gun and rob banks, with his first attempt at "on-the-job" training ending with Ben shooting himself in the foot. Across the course of the training, they pay occasional visits to saloons where Jack shows Ben the truth about adult life, including helping him to lose hisvirginity. However, the true nature of the saloon visits is for Jack to make contact with showgirl Lana Castel, who, unbeknownst to Jack, is madly in love with him.
When Ben's training is complete, the two learn of a bank which is said to have the entire town armed and ready to protect it. Jack sees this as the test he has been waiting for, and together they hatch a plan to rob it. Everything seems to be going smoothly and they are set to begin, until Jack discovers that a rival gang of outlaws is also planning to rob the bank. He is prepared to give up when Ben has a plan of his own.
Ben silently tips off the townspeople, who quickly swarm the bank with the rival outlaws inside. The gang is arrested and the entire town celebrates, allowing Jack and Ben to slip unnoticed into the bank and swiftly strip it clean. Before leaving, Jack jumps into the celebrations, ensuring that his grinning face is seen at the top of the town photo. By the time the true robbery is discovered, the two - and Lana - are gone, with a bounty of thousands on their heads and all of America searching for them - the life that Jack had always wanted.
Paul Hogan wanted to make a classic Western and he was attracted to the idea of making a movie about a bank robber.[4]
Hogan created a company, Lightning Ridge Ltd, which he then floated on theAustralian Stock Exchange to help fund the film through investors buying stock.[5] Hogan raised funds this way in order to maintain creative control over the film.[6] The company was delisted in 2001.[7]
Filming took place inSanta Fe, NM;Tucson andPage, AZ;Moab, Utah; andColorado with some interiors shot atMovie World Studios on theGold Coast inAustralia.[8] Director Simon Wincer says making the film was a logistical nightmare because there were so many other westerns filming on the same locations at the same time, such asWyatt Earp,Geronimo,City Slickers 2 andTombstone.[9]
Major League Baseball pitcherRoger Clemens makes an uncredited cameo appearance as the eye-patched outlaw character "Dutch Spencer".[citation needed]
Lightning Jack got mostly negative reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 6% based on reviews from 17 critics.[10]
James Berardinelli rated the film one and a half out of four stars, describing it as a "well-meaning but completely lifeless comedy that is short on humor and long on boredom". He also felt that Hogan "had one story to tell, and, onceCrocodile Dundee was made, the wellspring ran dry".[11]Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars, writing: "It's impossible to dislike Paul Hogan, and almost as hard to like his movies. They're as goodhearted as they are simple-minded. "Lightning Jack, " his new comic Western, is an example. ... It generates some chuckles, but nothing much more, because the movie's too agreeable and easy-going for its own good."[12]
The film opened at number 2 in the United States behindGuarding Tess with an opening weekend gross of $5.4 million but went on to gross less than $17 million in the United States and Canada.[13][14] It opened over Easter weekend in Australia and was thenumber one film with a gross of A$1.8 million. It went on to gross A$6.4 million in Australia and $25 million worldwide.[15][16][2]